WHO seeks to unify monkeypox responses

GENEVA－The World Health Organization says it has removed the distinction between endemic and nonendemic countries in its data on monkeypox to better unify the response to the virus.

Until the past few months, monkeypox had generally been confined to Western and Central Africa but is now present on several continents.

"We are removing the distinction between endemic and nonendemic countries, reporting on countries together where possible, to reflect the unified response that is needed," the WHO said in its outbreak situation update on Friday sent to media on Saturday.

Between Jan 1 and June 15, 2,103 confirmed cases, a probable case and one death were reported to the WHO in 42 countries, it said.

On Thursday the WHO, based in Geneva, is to hold an emergency meeting to determine whether to classify the global monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern.

Alarm raised

The designation is the highest alarm the UN agency can sound.

Eighty-four percent of confirmed cases were in the European region, followed by the Americas, Africa, Eastern Mediterranean region and Western Pacific region.

The WHO says it believes the number of cases is probably higher.

The normal initial symptoms of monkeypox include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a blistery chickenpox-like rash.

However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that current cases do not always present flu-like symptoms, and rashes are sometimes limited to certain areas.

On Friday Chile's Ministry of Health confirmed the country's first case of monkeypox in a young adult who had been to Europe.

Health officials recommended that "people who have traveled abroad and have had close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual intercourse, and have a sudden onset of inexplicable skin lesions, with one or more symptoms such as fever, swollen glands, muscle or back pain, and weakness", should consult a doctor.

Agencies - Xinhua